Michael Hamlin

From NCAA College Football Information & Resource

Michael Hamlin

Profile
College	Clemson University
Position	Safety
Jersey No.	25
Class	Senior
Career	2005 – present
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)
Weight	205 lbs (92.9 kg)
Nationality	American
B-date	November 21, 1985
B-place
High School	Lamar High School
Career Highlights
Awards
2008 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list 2007 All-ACC Second Team 2007 Clemson's Defensive MVP
Championships
none
Bowl Games
2007 Peach Bowl 2006 Music City Bowl 2005 Champs Sports Bowl

Michael Hamlin (born Michael Leon Hamlin on November 21, 1985) is a safety for the Clemson University Tigers in the NCAA college football tournament. A native of Timmonsville, SC, Hamlin worked his way up into the depth chart during his redshirt freshman year to become the first Clemson freshman to start over the course of a season in the secondary since Justin Miller in 2002. Hamlin has also put the shackles on the nation's best offensive players most notably Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson whom he limited to just four receptions for 46 yards in their two-year encounter. Proof of Hamlin's reputation as a menace on defense is his nomination into the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, an award for the nation's best defensive player.

1 Personal Life
2 High School
3 College
- 3.1 2004
- 3.2 2005
- 3.3 2006
- 3.4 2007
- 3.5 2008
4 Achievements
- 4.1 2008
- 4.2 2007
- 4.3 2006
- 4.4 2005
5 References

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Personal Life

Michael Leon, or Mike Jr., is the son of Jeanette and Mike Hamlin Sr. All of the Hamlin boys have in one time or another, played in the gridiron. His father Mike, now a Darlington County deputy officer, was a former safety at Timmonsville High. He tied the S.C. record for interceptions in a game when he picked off five passes as a senior in 1984, sharing the feat with Manning’s Mike Bradley (1980), Woodruff’s Mike Smith (1983) and Northwestern’s Cookie Massey (1987). Mike's younger brothers Markee and Marquais both played safety at South Carolina State. Although all three have been convinced by recreational league coaches to play on offense, the Hamlin kids would stick unto the family's "specialty" in hopes of one day breaking their father's record in interceptions.

When they were young, Mike Sr. has already trained his sons to play the position he once played. Their "training" starts when one of the brothers would throw the pigskin unto the air and whoever catches the ball would be chased by the other two until he was tackled. Aside from their training, one other practice they used to observe when they were young was spending the night together in the same room, sleeping in the interjoined beds of Markee and Marquais before the first day of school.

Although Michael is said to be lacking in speed intimidation and demonstrative emotion---all traits possessed by Markee---he has been praised for his execution and feel for the game, with defensive coordinator Vic Koenning tagging him as “indispensable” because of those traits. Michael majored in sport management at Clemson University.

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High School

The versatile Hamlin played for Lamar High School, the same institution that produced the likes of Tiger All-American and All-Pro Levon Kirkland and rival school to Mike Sr.'s alma mater Timmonsville High. He played for Lamar High's football, basketball, and baseball teams, including the 2002 state championship baseball team when he was a junior, and was an all-region pick on all three sports. In football, Hamlin played on both side of the field for head coach J.R. Boyd, as a receiver on offense and as a safety on defense. When he was a junior, Hamlin had 10 interceptions and was selected into the all-region (for the second straight year) and all-state teams (first selection). In his final season, Hamlin showcased his all-around talent after emerging as the team's top wideout (with 20 receptions for 290 yards and four touchdowns) and the team's leading DB (with 4 interceptions and 65 tackles) to win the High School Sports Report's defensive player-of-the-Year award and claim Player-of-Year honors for the second straight year.

One of Hamlin's signature games was the Silver Foxes' 2003 state championship game where he threw his third pass as a senior to his brother Markee for a 31-yard touchdown which was his second scoring pass of the year. Hamlin, a BETA Club and FCA member, ended his high school career with 23 total interceptions and was named all-state in all classifications as a senior. Hamlin also participated in the Shrine Bowl and was a finalist for Mr. Football in South Carolina. His remarkable prep stint also went noticed as Tom Lemming ranked him the 11th best safety in the nation while CollegeFootballNews.com rated him #26 in the nation in his position.

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College

In a last minute decision made a day before Signing Day, Hamlin chose to sign with Clemson over Duke and North Carolina, saying: "I chose Clemson because they were always my favorite team as a kid, and I decided that if I was ever given the chance to go there, I would." He was recruited by Clemson assistant Burton Burns.

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2004

Redshirted.

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2005

During his redshirt freshman year, Hamlin kicked off his career with a reserve appearance in the season opening win at home against 17th ranked Texas A&M where he tallied his first career tackle, an assist. The following week, he registered 3 tackles which include a pair of solos, and a pass break up as the Tigers defeated Maryland, 28-24. After 2-straight wins, Clemson suffered consecutive losses, including two in overtime against Miami (Fla.) and Boston College and another against Wake Forest. During those setbacks, Hamlin had 6, 4, and 4 stops, respectively, including his first tackle for loss against the Demon Deacons.

The Tigers managed to bounce back against N.C. State, 31-10, with Hamlin making his first career start and tallying a season-high 7 tackles in 53 plays. He kept his starting position since then, becoming the first Tiger freshman to be a starter in the secondary over the course of a season since Justin Miller in 2002. He contributed 5 more stops in the win over Temple, another stop and his first career interception (returned for 31 yards) in the loss to Georgia Tech, 3 tackles in the victory against Duke, 4 more stops and his second career interception for an 11-yard return (to stop a drive in Tiger territory) in the win over Florida State and three more in the victory over South Carolina.

In his bowl game debut against Colorado in the Champs Sports Bowl, Hamlin had two tackles and a team-best two pass breakups as the Tigers downed the Buffs, 19-10. During the team's awards banquet, Hamlin shared the Rookie of the Year Award for the Most Productive Young Player with Rashaad Jackson.

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2006

Entering his sophomore season, Hamlin intercepted a pass for a 20-yard return during the team's annual Spring Football Game at Death Valley. He opened the season with three tackles, a fumble recovery, and a 74-yard interception return in the 54-6 clobbering of Florida Atlantic and was awarded the defensive player-of-the-game honors from the Clemson coaches. He also contributed 4 solo stops in the heartbreaking 33-34 double overtime loss @ Boston College. To add insult to injury, Hamlin suffered a broken foot during that game that sidelined him for the next three assignments. He returned and started against Wake Forest, tallying 5 tackles in 57 snaps in the 27-17 win over the eventual ACC champs. He also recovered a fumble in the 63-9 dismantling of Temple, had 4 stops with one for loss in the 31-7 win over the Yellow Jackets and added 8 more tackles and 1 TFL in the Tigers' first loss in over a month.

Against Maryland, Hamlin recorded his first double digit tackle performance (12 stops) in addition to a TFL and an interception returned for 16 yards, but his efforts went to naught as the Tigers lost a 1-pointer to the Terps via a last second field goal. Clemson recovered from its two-game losing skid by defeating N.C. State, 20-14, as Hamlin chipped in 5 stops. It was however a short-lived celebration as the Tigers bowed to the Gamecocks, 28-31 in the regular season finale despite Hamlin's 9-tackle and 2-pass break up performance.

Hamlin went to make his second-straight postseason performance against Kentucky in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl and recorded 13 tackles and 1 TFL in the 20-28 losing cause. He was awarded with the Iron Man Award during the team's awards night after helping the Tigers rank in the top 15 in the nation in scoring defense.

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2007

In February of 2007, Hamlin sustained a stress factor on his foot. He underwent surgery to repair the injury, forcing him to sit out the first half of spring practice. During the preseason, Hamlin was named into the Street & Smith Magazine preseason All-American and All-ACC teams and was also included in the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch list.

Hamlin opened the season with a 7-tackle performance against the 19th ranked Seminoles before adding five more in a win over Louisiana-Monroe. In another lopsided victory over Furman, Hamlin had 4 solo stops, intercepted his first pass, and broke two more. He also intercepted passes in the win over N.C. State and in the Tigers' first loss of the season against Georgia Tech. Had he caught an interception in the ensuing loss to Virginia Tech, he would've tied the school record in consecutive games with interceptions shared by Bobby Gage (1948), Terry Kinard (1980-81) and Dexter Davis (1990). Nonetheless, he finished the Hokie game with 8 stops and a forced fumble.

In the next three wins, Hamlin posted 5 tackles and a pass break up against Central Michigan, recorded 7 stops and 0.5 TFL @ Maryland, and added 7 more tackles @ Duke to go with 1.5 TFLs, and an interception. He also contributed 8 tackles in the win over the Demon Deacons, before racking up a season high 11 tackles with 9 solos in a close loss to 18th ranked Boston College. In the regular season finale @ South Carolina, Hamlin had 2 stops and 2 pass break ups as the Tigers pulled off a close 23-21 win.

Prior to his third straight bowl game appearance, Hamlin and junior quarterback Cullen Harper were both designated as permanent captains of the 2007 Clemson football team by head coach Tommy Bowden, marking the first time since 1977 that two non-seniors were named offensive and defensive captains of the Clemson football team in the same year. Hamlin closed the season out with 7 tackles and two tackles for 6-yard loss in the 20-23 loss to Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Hamlin ended the year as the team's second leading tackler with 97 stops to go with six takeaways, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. With Hamlin along the ride, the Clemson defense ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense and total defense. His efforts were rewarded with a second team All-ACC selection and the team's defensive MVP award.

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2008

In early January 2008, Hamlin announced that he would be returning to play his senior season with the Tigers. Hamlin was also named as one of the 88 players named to the Watch List for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the best defensive player in college football. In addition, he was also named as a candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award.

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